ST. PETERSBURG, December 10. /TASS/. The Norilsk Nickel Company will continue to pursue a mutually beneficial agreement with the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples, the company's Vice President Andrey Grachev said at the 15th Artur Chilingarov International Forum - The Arctic: Present and Future - in St. Petersburg.
The metallurgical company, Russia's Federal Agency for Nationalities, and the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East signed an agreement on sidelines of the forum.
"The agreement continues Norilsk Nickel's policy to develop constructive and mutually beneficial relations with the peoples traditionally living in the regions where our enterprises operate," the company's vice president said. "We work closely with the government in this area, and years-long experience shows effectiveness of such a public-private partnership, as well as Norilsk Nickel's strategic role in development of the Russian North."
The agreement's objective is cooperation to promote sustainable development of indigenous peoples. The cooperation will have various aspects, such as guarantees of rights and interests of indigenous peoples, development of mechanisms to support them in the social and economic spheres, harmonization of relations with industrial companies, as well as participation in international and inter-regional cooperation.
According to the federal agency's leader Igor Barinov, the cooperation envisages a combination of government guarantees, voluntary corporate obligations and involvement of indigenous peoples in taking decisions that affect them. "Here, we speak not only about financing, but also about the direct participation of indigenous peoples in determining funded priorities for their sustainable development," he said. In turn, the association's leader Alexander Novyukhov noted the agreement would give an impetus to joint and mutually beneficial work.
"The Norilsk Nickel Company has been implementing for many years a program to support indigenous peoples. It is part of the company's 10-year Development Strategy to 2030. Since 2018, the company continues a policy on the rights of indigenous peoples, which is regularly updated in line with current Russian and international standards," the company's press service told TASS, adding that the document had been developed with the participation of independent experts and in consultations with communities and associations of indigenous peoples, and complies with international standards, including the UN leadership. To implement a five-year program to support the indigenous peoples of Taimyr in 2020-2024, the company allocated more than 2 billion rubles ($26 million), the company continued, adding the funds were used for large-scale construction of housing, social facilities, support for education and the economy of traditional use of natural resources.
About the forum
15th Chilingarov International Arctic Forum: Present and Future runs in St. Petersburg on December 9 and 10.